TNC On Tour 2003 Page 32

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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour

Tour 2003

32 - Oakgrove to Stockton Brook. Macclesfield Canal, Trent and Mersey Canal and Caldon Canal.

Saturday 2nd August 2003

David Kitching had agreed to come out and help us with Bosley Locks and after this to drop off Peter A and Linda to Stockport station, where Linda would put Peter on the train back to London. Linda then had to be deposited back to the underway Earnest, something that nearly took to the end of the canal!
We left Old Oak Swing Bridge at 07:20 and arrived at the top of Bosley at 08:00. It was a dewy but hot sunny morning. Very pleasant run down this rural and picturesque flight that we had done many times before in the pouring rain. Arrival at bottom was at 08:55. Following perusal of train times, it meant that Peter would just miss a train, so there was no hurry. After David had left, Martin Clark said "Hello Gibbo" to a face that appeared in an engine room door of the boat moored below us - non other than fellow newsgroup lister Chris "Gibbo" Gibbons. We were given a guided tour of the "business" end of NB Lionheart. 4LW Gardner, with Gardner gearbox. Also Chris's patent Candy Washing Machine and tumble dryer, with heat supplied from the boat hot water system using Mini heater radiators.
We cast off at 09:45 and had a nice gentle run down almost the rest of the Macc, David dropping Linda back at 12:00, Bridge 82. We were easily going to make the 16:00 cut off for the Harecastle Tunnel, so continued on. Hardings Wood Junction was past at 13:10, arrived at Kidsgrove portal of tunnel at 13:30. There was no queue, we had missed the last convoy by 20 minutes.
A fair wait, so Linda went shopping to the nearby Tesco's. We started off in the tunnel at 15:00, first in the queue. Neil got the sharp turn into the tunnel OK, but then hit the RH side a few times (this is the safety chain board side that graunches "modern" NB gunwales, so large tyre fenders always down this side.)
This unexpected cock-up infuriated the Commode D' Or, causing him to shoot off at renewed speed. No more tunnel side contact, but BLOODY bit crack from something metallic against prop about mid way. We arrived at the fan house some 25 minutes later. Tunnel Keeper was not about, for our early arrival, so Linda forced her way out of the side door, held closed by the suction, to summon him from his gardening.
After this it was Black Prince turn out time at Festival Marina at Eturia. Many of these hire boats were rushing for the tunnel...........all would be disappointed, they would not get there before 16:00 and the last working would be the other way. There was a large Black Prince blockage at Eturia Junction (16:35), most carrying on down the Trent and Mersey. It was a fair wait at the staircase locks of the Caldon Canal, operations being controlled by a rather rude Black Prince bod.
We ended up following a rather hapless Black Prince boat that was SO stemmed up that the bloke could, despite heroic struggling, not get the boat through bridge holes. Eventually the sad BP boat carried straight on at the Foley pub turn and Neil explained that it might be a good idea to take things a bit easier after a serious trip down the weed hatch. Next we past some North American's mooring up their BP boat, in a narrow towpath section, with pins right across the path...........Neil explained this was bad news, what with England having got the American "sue" culture.
Eventually we moored up a bit below Stockton Locks (deep moorings) at 20:00, as we were eating onboard.
A couple of more intrepid Black Prince boats arrived later. Martin C - the TNC Ambassador, went to introduce himself to Angela Jeffries, on her new 70ft NB Liberty Belle, that was moored just below us. Neil was called out and we had a guided tour of the Jeffries new boat. Rather boring Beta 1903 propulsion, but interesting power / heat generation, from a "Stirling engine" Whisper Gen. In this case Liberty Belle's installation had worked perfectly so far.

Mottersheads Bridge No 50. Linda on dog walking duties. Macclesfield Canal.

Crowholt. Macclesfield Canal.

Bosley Top Lock No 1. Macclesfield Canal.

Bosley Flight. Lock No 2. Macclesfield Canal.

Bosley Flight. Lock No 2. Looking down at Lock No 3. Macclesfield Canal.

Bosley Flight. Lock No 2. Looking up at Daintrys Road Bridge No 54. Macclesfield Canal.

Bosley Flight. Lock No 3. The hill dominating the scene is The Cloud. Macclesfield Canal.

Bosley Flight. Lock No 3. Looking up at Lock No 2. Macclesfield Canal.

Bosley Flight. Lock No 4. Macclesfield Canal.

Bosley Flight. Lock No 5. Looking up at Lock No 4. The strange craft above is the BW mobile sanitary station! Macclesfield Canal.

The walkway over the tail of Lock No 5. Peckerpool Wood Bridge No 55 below. Macclesfield Canal.

Bosley Flight. Lock No 6. Macclesfield Canal.

Looking back up at Peckerpool Wood Bridge No 55. Macclesfield Canal.

Bosley Flight. Lock No 6. Macclesfield Canal.

Looking down at Lock No 8. Bosley Flight. Macclesfield Canal.

Bosley Flight. Lock No 7. Macclesfield Canal.

Looking up at Lock No 7 from Lock No 8. Bosley Flight. Macclesfield Canal.

Swindalls Bridge No 56 and Lock No 8. Bosley Flight. Macclesfield Canal.

Looking up at Lock No 9 from Lock No 10. Bosley Flight. Macclesfield Canal.

Bosley Flight. Lock No 10. Macclesfield Canal.

Looking up at Lock No 10 from Lock No 11. Bosley Flight. Macclesfield Canal.

The disused railway bridge above Bosley Bottom Lock No 12. Macclesfield Canal.

Bosley Bottom Lock No 12. Macclesfield Canal.

Chris Gibbons NB Lionheart No 2. Macclesfield Canal.

Bosley Bottom Lock No 12. Macclesfield Canal.

The river Dane embankment and Aqueduct. Old Driving Lane Bridge No 57 in the distance. Macclesfield Canal.

The river Dane embankment and Aqueduct. Macclesfield Canal.

Old Driving Lane Bridge No 57. Macclesfield Canal.

Wallworths Bridge No 58. Macclesfield Canal.

Lomas Bridge No 59. Macclesfield Canal.

Railway Bridge No 59 A. Stringers Bridge No 60 beyond. Macclesfield Canal.

Crossley Hall farm, Bridge No 61 in the distance. Macclesfield Canal.

Town Field Bridge No 66. Foden Bridge No 67 and Buxton Road Bridge No 68 beyond. The Buglawton straight. Macclesfield Canal.

Wallworths Bridge No 69. Buglawton. Macclesfield Canal.

Galleys Bridge No 70. Macclesfield Canal.

Railway Bridge No 70 A, Footbridge No 71 beyond. Macclesfield Canal.

The disused arm by the disused railway line aqueduct. Macclesfield Canal.

The disused railway line aqueduct. Outskirts of Congleton. Macclesfield Canal.

Outskirts of Congleton. Macclesfield Canal.

Bridge No 74. Beyond are Flyover Bridge No 74 A, Park Lane Bridge No 75 and Railway Bridge No 75 A. Congleton. Macclesfield Canal.

Flyover Bridge No 74 A, Park Lane Bridge No 75, Railway Bridge No 75 A and Morris Bridge No 76. Congleton. Macclesfield Canal.

Looking back at Railway Bridge No 75 A and Park Lane Bridge No 75. Congleton. Macclesfield Canal.

Looking back at Morris Changeline Bridge No 76. Congleton. Macclesfield Canal.

Looking back at Morris Bridge No 76. Congleton. Macclesfield Canal.

Congleton Aqueduct. Macclesfield Canal.

Looking back at Congleton Aqueduct. Macclesfield Canal.

Congleton Wharf. Macclesfield Canal.

Lamberts Lane Changeline Bridge No 77. Congleton. Macclesfield Canal.

Looking back at Lamberts Lane Changeline Bridge No 77. Congleton. Macclesfield Canal.

Phil Rushton's narrowboat Why Worry. Congleton. Macclesfield Canal.

Gravel Pit Bridge No 83. David K and the Morcambe Bay Shrimp Hound return Linda back to the boat. Macclesfield Canal.

Looking back at Gravel Pit Bridge No 83. Macclesfield Canal.

Heritage Narrowboats at Kent Green. The last place we hired from. Macclesfield Canal.

Kent Green Bridge No 87. Macclesfield Canal.

The derelict cottages in Scholar Green. Macclesfield Canal.

Scholar Green Swing Bridge No 90. Macclesfield Canal.

View up at the folly on Mow Cop, from Scholar Green. Macclesfield Canal.

Tramroad Bridge No 91. Little Moss. Macclesfield Canal.

Hall Green Bridge No 92. Macclesfield Canal.

Looking back at Hall Green Bridge No 92. Macclesfield Canal.

Hall Green Footbridge No 93 and Hall Green Lock. Macclesfield Canal.

Hall Green Lock. Macclesfield Canal.

Bridge No 95. Macclesfield Canal.

The A 50 Aqueduct. Poole Aqueduct over the Trent and Mersey Main Line and Bridge No 96 in the distance. Macclesfield Canal.

Poole Aqueduct over the Trent and Mersey Main Line and Bridge No 96. Macclesfield Canal.

Poole Aqueduct over the Trent and Mersey Canal. Red Bull. Macclesfield Canal.

The BW yard in the old David Piper boatyard. Red Bull. Macclesfield Canal.

Bridge No 97. Macclesfield Canal.

Bridge No 98, towpath bridge for the Trent and Mersey Canal. Hardings Wood Junction beyond. Macclesfield Canal.

Bridge No 98, towpath bridge for the Trent and Mersey Canal. Hardings Wood Junction

We are now the other side of the Harecastle Tunnel, filling in some pictures of structures not photographed last year. Longport Bridge No 126. Duke of Bridgewater pub beside. Trent and Mersey Canal.

Middleport pottery. Trent and Mersey Canal.

Middleport pottery. Home of Steelite. Footbridge No 125. Trent and Mersey Canal.

Middleport. Bridge No 124. Trent and Mersey Canal.

Middleport. Trent and Mersey Canal.

Disused railway bridge and new bridge, just before the remains of Shelton Steelworks rolling mills. Trent and Mersey Canal.

We are now on the Caldon Canal - some fill ins and changes from last year! This is the remains of the large pottery beyond Milton. Click here for last years picture.

The remains of the large pottery beyond Milton. Caldon Canal.

Approaching Bridge No 20 and Engine Lock No 4. Caldon Canal.

Looking back at Engine Lock No 4. Caldon Canal.

Norton Green Lift Bridge No 21. Caldon Canal.

Heakley Hall Lift Bridge No 22. Caldon Canal.

Long Butts Lift Bridge No 23. Caldon Canal.

The Tour Continues...

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